Climate notes for February 23rd 2024

I am on a voluntary board for a non-profit that provides services to under-privileged youth in a large, and largely impoverished area of Dublin. This week we held our board meeting and decided to go big on a message of under-funding, having been told by a local government-sitting TD to "not rattle the cage." Not rattling the cage caused the situation to become bleak for local kids, as we have to shut services down in a time when the poor get more poor and face bleak outcomes.

What's interesting was one board member lashed out at the spending cuts, aiming his vitriol at green policy. I, a card-carrying green weirdo, was confused. A cycle lane was quoted as useless; I use that exact lane almost every single day! The new bus systems ("Bus Connects") not being in-place was called out; they're "planting" the new signage right now! Electric bus costs. It was like listening to afternoon rage radio call-in shows, but live. And all of this was the Green Party or green policies' fault, somehow.

I didn't argue the point as he ran out of steam. But it's evident that passionate, local people on voluntary boards are really poorly informed. And this is someone who cares about the community and youth work (his real job is in a school, just to double-down there). It's disheartening.

Tabs

• "Global warming is not accelerating"
• Underground minions that convert CO2 to... rocks?
• The great carbon capture scam
• JPMorgan and Pimco are walking back their environmental pledges after years of outspoken support for fighting climate change
• Has the White House gone green?
• UK lake ecosystem collapsed
• Lobbyists fucking up climate action
• Alberta drought warning
• Traffic plan key to getting public transport on-track
• It’s already hurricane season in the waters of the Atlantic. That could spell danger with La Niña coming
• EU lawmakers back hefty fines for companies making false green claims
• Deep dive into battery software
• Greenwashing through sport. I'm a huge F1 fan, and it's disheartening to see how F1 mucks about on this topic.
• Temp records to break in Feb